Eco-Innovation Adoption in the Olive Oil Sector: A Sustainability Analysis

Abstract

The growing concern among consumers for more environmentally friendly products is forcing companies to align their strategies accordingly. In recent years, eco-innovation has emerged as a key business strategy to address these new expectations. Considering the significance of the olive oil sector in Spain, this study seeks to evaluate the extent to which eco-innovations have been adopted in the primary processing segment of the olive oil sector. To this end, a CAWI survey with CATI follow-up was conducted among olive oil mills in the autonomous region of Andalusia. The final sample consisted of 164 cases, drawn from a population of 800. The findings indicate that the level of eco-innovation in the olive oil industry is low. Furthermore, the results enabled the categorization of olive oil mills into four groups based on their environmental actions: (1) environmentally responsible mills, (2) eco-innovative mills, (3) passive mills, and (4) footprint mills. These results have implications for academia, businesses, and institutions alike.